Story/Lore
Lore Basics/Existence * The dungeons exist on a demiplane ** TBD *** Arxsec's Rift **** Hermit's? Recluse's? Arxsec's? Cult's? Dungeon's? TBD's? ** Empowered by Arxsec, through the worship from TBD and his followers ** Suffuses the plane itself and the cult members with supernatural power *** in the form of: *** for the purpose of: **** creating and operating their dungeons **** other quarters/functions necessary for operation * (Druid? Necromancer? Sorcerer,ess? Wizard?) created the dungeons ** (Elf? Gnome?) * Other followers of Arxsec ** "own" different kinds of dungeons (different personalities, similar to Organization XIII in KH) * is much more reclusive, really doesn't want to be bothered ** Still a respectable person * Some domains don't exist (though they could) due to the difficulty of honing one domain ** Example: Infection happens everywhere (above-ground, underground, underwater, in forests, etc.) ** Therefore, some cultists (like Putra) don't have their own, singular domain (a pure "domain of infection", as would be for Putra) *** That doesn't mean it's impossible to make it though (maybe one day, Putra.) Purpose * Why? ** Spread the ways of: *** Arxsec *** The cult; both its manner of operation and the essence of their domains ** Invite new members, both: *** for their god *** to add new dungeons (expand the variety & complexity) ** Practice; Improve / add to their existing dungeons ** Avoid stagnation * To do what? ** Run through the dungeons (remember, they're also dwellings) created by the cult members ** Sometimes run into members of the cult *** What's it like when they do? **** Earning favor with certain members: a mark is given ***** type: ****** (?) Arcane signature on the skin ****** (?) Badge, sash / single sleeve, or necklace ****** (?) Or, each member does something different ***** (?) assists in traversing dungeons under that member's influence Conflict * Forces disrupting the dungeons ** Collateral upkeep *** Hidden elemental leaks *** Known recurring elementals/plants/monsters, that are intended to be regularly dispatched (metaphorically akin to "mowing the lawn") *** "Manifest" (pseudo-) dungeons occasionally manifest on their own ** TBD Nefarious threats Inhabitants * The cult and its leader * Apprentices * Other people who are poofed into the dungeons * Leaks of elemental forces / entities * TBD A threat to the cult ** Features * Nexus - Central room for travel between dungeons (though there are also other means for such travel) * Commons area (multiple rooms - almost a dungeon in itself) for discussion * "potentials"?' Quarters * Forum - Shopping area for trading artifacts & services between Arxsec's Rift and the Prime Material Plane (PMP) Technical operation * "potentials"? ** TBD Arrival *** (?) (partly?) The rift pulls people in on its own *** (?) The cult members pull people in from other planes **** (?) not exclusive to PMP *** Non-"potentials"? / unintended hazards: some entities find their way here **** Usually attracted to the domain they end up in **** Examples: ***** Waterways made Water Elemental appear, due to strong connection with the Plane Of Water ***** Slithering Trackers find their way to the domains of Infection, due to their toxic nature and thirst for blood/revenge ** Between dungeons *** Cultists have a lot of "potentials"? (players) to manage *** Cultists usually volunteer to host certain groups **** The players are incapacitated in the current dungeon **** The players are cared for while the next cultist(s) volunteer **** The players are teleported from the current dungeon to the next * Supernatural Power ** more numerous spell slots ** more varied / more powerful spells ** shared energy with their domains (similar to how a god is linked to their domain) ** the complete ability to create, populate, and morph their domains * Travel within the demiplane ** TBD The Cult As A People * Appearance ** Garb: *** Cultist Robe *** ** TBD Physical features * Interactions ** Internal *** Strong synergies with other members (that's often how multi-element dungeons are made) *** Generally strong respect and understanding for other members *** Encouraging / persuading other members on how to improve or be more satisfied with their dungeons *** TBD ** External *** Handling Forum access (from outside the demiplane) * Activities/Duties ** Paperwooooorrrrk ,_, ** Monitoring the dungeons & campus *** Communicating w/ other cultists *** Managing personal areas (like Flumé's water habitat) *** Reshaping their dungeons ** Studying/training ** Managing their apprentices Storyline: Questions to answer Expanding the world * Maybe Arxsec's Rift operates in multiple locations (branches), and the players will be asked to contract or transfer there! ** Then they can "leave the rift" and enter Emil's world (or my own, if I create a new continent) and travel to it ** Or teleport to it? Less fun though * Maybe the Rift needs materials or artifacts that can't be created by the Rift * Maybe manifest dungeons occasionally leak or fall into the PMP and need to be cleansed ** Maybe monsters stop magically appearing in the dungeon when this happens, as they dungeons I mean, not the monsters are no longer a part of the Rift ** But... how do the cultists know when this happens? TBD Technical Operation * "potentials"? ** TBD Arrival *** How are people brought here? **** **** How are they selected? * Travel within the demiplane ** TBD How do the cultists get around? * Supernatural Power ** TBD domain creation *** How much effort does it take? *** On what scales can they do this? *** What influence are they able to make on each others' dungeons? *** How much do they know about each others' dungeons, and how prepared are they to traverse them? TBD Conflict * Forces disrupting the dungeons ** TBD Nefarious threats *** (?) Uses cunning to create conflict within or to cause mis-guidance/-communication within the cult *** (may need to better understand the nature of the dungeons and how to traverse them) * Forces disrupting the home Rift ("main area") ** * Must be something the denizens, for whatever reason, are unable/hard-pressed to effectively deal with. TBD Mysteries within the Rift * Simul's shortcuts ** * Planted scavenger hunts/mysteries ** by *** Residents? Denizens? Merchants? ** (?) Marked books in the Library ** * (?) Hints at Xan'Ko's minions *